The Traveling Wheelchair

1149 Main Street
Acushnet, MA 02743
Phone: 508-763-2622
http://www.keithsfarm.net/

Yesterday my friends and I traveled to Acushnet to go Apple Picking at Keith’s Farm. This farm is one of the largest operating farms in southeastern Massachusetts. A large parking lot is located in front of a small produce store where you will see stairs leading up to a picnic area in front of the produce store.

Two handicap parking spaces are located at the end of the parking lot on a slight hilly grassy area in front of a large barn. Persons in wheelchairs will need help with opening the wide gate so they can travel around the barn to access the produce store and picnic area.

My friends and I were warmly greeted by a kind woman who runs the farm. She told us that ‘Accessibility’ is very important to her because her closest friend is in a wheelchair. She said that they try to make the farm as accessible as they can and they have many Field Trips for persons living in nursing homes and persons with special needs. They even made one Hay Ride wagon wheelchair accessible by making the sides taller and the end side comes down as a ramp so a person in wheelchair can wheel up onto the wagon.

Apple picking is available during the week only on Wednesday, Thursday and Fridays from 1 PM - 4 PM but only in a small Apple Orchard next to the produce store. My friends and I got bags from the produce store and went apple picking in this small Apple Orchard next to the store.

The gate to this orchard is open but access in my wheelchair is difficult due to a steep dirt slope that has some rocks on it. Kevin pulled my wheelchair backwards down this slope. I think my Power Chair might have been easier but it died and I am awaiting a new one. Kevin told me he wouldn’t recommend a Power Chair either for it is too steep with some rocks.

Once inside this small Apple Orchard I found the terrain to be very difficult to wheel my wheelchair around the apple trees. Apples lying on the ground that had fallen off the trees made wheeling tough too. Many of the apples are too high for me to reach but I did manage to pick a few apples on lower branches.

A much larger Apple Orchard, Pumpkin Patch and Hay Rides are open during the fall season only on Saturday and Sunday from 9 PM-5 PM. This larger Apple Orchard has tough terrain too but has easier access for there is no slope. 

Hayrides will take you to the Pumpkin Patch so you can pick your own Pumpkin. Keith’s Farm has six large hay ride wagons and one is wheelchair accessible that can fit up to five wheelchairs. We were told that the pumpkin patch has rough terrain so a person in a wheelchair may find it difficult to wheel through the Pumpkin Patch. The Hay Ride wasn’t open yesterday but if I go back I’ll probably stay on the wagon while my friends pick pumpkins.

A Food Court located in the large barn is open only on Weekends during the Apple Season where home made baked goods are for sale. The barn is spacious and easy to maneuver a wheelchair around. All the picnic tables are inaccessible for persons in wheelchairs because the benches are attached. Port-a-Johns are the only form of restrooms here and none are wheelchair accessible.

I give Keith’s Farm THREE STARS for wheelchair accessibility. Keith’s Farm is one of the more accessible farms that I’ve visited because it has a wheelchair accessible Hay Ride. As far as the terrain in the fields there’s not much they can do about tough terrain in the Pumpkin Patch or the Apple Orchards. In order to earn the other Two Stars they would simply need to pave the handicap parking spaces, add a wheelchair accessible Port-a-John, add some accessible picnic tables, pave the dirt slope that leads to the small Apple Orchard and pick up some of the fallen apples so persons can wheel their wheelchairs around a little easier in the Apple Orchard.